A LATE AFTERNOON HOBBLE

Last week I worked in Anderson, SC, leaving me in prime position to get in some hiking before returning home. I wasn’t sure how long my job would take, so my plans we’re vague. I brought hiking and car camping gear with me though, for maximum flexibility.

I finished up my job at 4pm on Thursday. I had been watching the weather forecast closely, and heavy rain was expected to move into the area. However, it looked like the worst of it would hold off until Friday afternoon. This seemed encouraging, so I decided to head for the Sumpter National Forest. I’d have time for a short hike Thursday evening, and car camp on Brasstown Creek that night. The next morning I’d get an early start and do short hikes to Brasstown Falls, Long Creek Falls, and Opossum Creek Falls.

I drove through Clemson and Westminster and headed out highway 76 towards the Chattooga River. My goal for the evening was to visit Riley Moore Falls on the Chauga River. The hike is only 2 miles roundtrip, so I was pretty confident I could pull it off before dark.

I followed directions I found on sctrails.net to the trailhead. I arrived there just after 5 and spent a few minutes changing out of my work clothes and organizing my gear. It was 5:15 when I started down the logging road towards the river.

I immediately realized that this was not going to be a typical hike. I had been experiencing some mysterious foot pain all week. I was pretty sure it was a flare up of Plantar Fasciitis, which is a running injury I’ve suffered from off and on over the years. In the past, I’ve typically ignored it until it either went away, or got too severe to ignore. This week though, I’d completely avoided running. Despite this, the stabbing pain in my foot wasn’t any better. I stubbornly hobbled on down the trail though, confident that I could manage a 2 mile hike, even if it felt like I had a giant rock in my boot!

I followed the road for almost a half mile before reaching the signed trail on the left. From there, I limped on down the footpath. Aside from the foot pain, the walking was easy, and before long I could hear the roar of the river below. A few minutes later, the falls loomed ahead. I followed the path down to broad, rocky beach at the base of the falls.

Riley Moore Falls isn’t very tall, but it’s impressive nonetheless. Being on a river, there’s a lot of water, even in the midst of perpetual drought. It’s a very wide waterfall, too, and it reminded me a bit of Hooker Falls in DuPont State Forest. I think Riley Moore is a prettier spot though.

Light rain began to fall, but that wasn’t going to stop me from getting some photos. What nearly did stop me was the discovery that my tripod wasn’t in my pack. Groan! Fortunately the beach was a convenient place to shoot from, and I was able to use some logs and rocks to support my camera. I managed a few decent photos despite these limitations, and spent a few minutes enjoying the falls. It was getting late though, and all too soon it was time to limp back to the car.

I spent the next 30 minutes debating what to do next. I was looking forward to camping and hiking again the next morning, but I knew I was asking for a damp experience. I was more concerned about my foot than the weather though. I knew I would be working in Atlanta the next week, so my options for medical treatment would be somewhat limited.

By the time I reached the car, my aching foot had convinced me to head home. I was pretty sure I could tough it out and survive 8 miles of hiking on Friday, but it wouldn’t be much fun. With a free day on Friday, I could probably get in to see my chiropractor / personal magician. Although a chiropractor by trade, he knows some amazing techniques for treating sports injuries. I’d first seen him following my second pulled calf muscle. The first time I’d injured it, the muscle had taken a month to heal. The second time, I visited him a few days later. Believe it or not, I was able to run the next day.

I’m still looking forward to getting back to Brasstown Falls, to see what I missed there a few weeks ago. I get a lot of job assignments down in that direction, so I’ll have to plan another trip the next time I’m down that way.

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